Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: Saving Caravaggio by Neil Griffiths

By Angela Youngman Feb 27, 2007, 11:14 GMT

Art theft detective Daniel Wright is on the trail of Caravaggio's Nativity. As an expert on Caravaggio he is obsessed by the painting and determined to rescue it from the Mafia bosses who are using it as payment for drug deals and assassinations. Defying his superiors and risking everything - including his marriage and career - Wright operates beyond the law in a hunt which goes from Florence to the remote Southern Italian countryside. Death inevitably follows in his footsteps.

An interesting story, but goes on a bit too long. It is also very introspective with lots of digressions about Wright's obsessions, thoughts and views on society. His views come into conflict with those of his wife and colleagues. It is a portrayal of a man more than a pure detective story. I have to admit after a while I began to skim read - curious to know what happened to the Caravaggio but bored by the introspection.